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“I can help you with the money part, but Taylor Jane is convinced the only way out is to sell that flipped property.”
“You don’t think it will sell?”
“Oh I do, she’ll get a good price, but the problem is that she’s fallen in love with the house and if you’re not going to tell her what the hell is going on, I don’t want her to give up one more thing.”
“Hunter, you’re a good man.” Alan stood up and held his hand out to shake mine. His grip was weak and as he leaned in he stumbled.
“Alan? Alan!” Falling to the floor her father clutched his chest and I dropped down with him bracing his head so he didn’t hit the coffee table or the wood flooring on his way down.
He looked at me choking out what I hoped weren’t his last words. “I love her so much.”
I grabbed my phone to call 911. Holding Alan’s hand I called the dispatcher and put her on speaker phone relaying his collapse. My CPR cert was up to date, but it had been years since I used it in a practical sense, not since the military.
“Alan, hold on. Don’t you fucking give up on me.” I did the chest compressions in a daze until the front door pushed open and the paramedics pulled me off of him to continue working on his heart. The dispatcher ended the call as they took over. Confused, I was no longer needed but couldn’t get myself to move.
“Hunter, come with me.”
I didn’t know who was pulling my arm and guiding me out of the house until we stepped outside.
“You did good. They’ve got him now.” It was Evan or rather Officer Rooney speaking to me.
Wiping the tears off my face, I picked up my phone dreading this part the most. “I have to call her,” but all I did was stare blankly at the phone.
“You want me to do it?” He put his hand on my shoulder, steady but gentle. Evan probably had to do this shit all the time. Besides him fooling around with Kristen, I didn’t understand why Damien had such shit for this guy.
No, I could do it. I hadn’t realized my face was wet, tears streaming down. My shirt sleeve was good enough to clean me up.
“I got it.” I said and he nodded backing up and picking up his radio to call ahead.
The phone shook in my hand as I watched them roll the gurney outside the front door of the house and bounce down the three brick laid front steps to the walkway. I dialed letting it ring once, twice before putting the phone up to my ear waiting for her voice.
“Hunter?” Things were still not okay between us but I was grateful she picked up my call and I cleared the heaviness from my throat.
“Taylor Jane where are you?” The words choked me up because I was the one having to deliver this news. The ambulance sirens hadn’t stopped and the blaring behind me would only increase her anxiety. I knew Taylor Jane too well.
“I’m at the house waiting for Kristen to get here. What’s going on? Where are you?” I imagined she was looking around, somewhat frantic almost panting with worry and my bones filled with icy dread knowing I wasn’t there to hold her or calm her down.
“Hunter, you getting in? They’re going.” Evan pointed to the ambulance where they were working on her dad. She would go ballistic knowing he might be alone right now. I made the decision to go nodding and jogging over.
“Hunter, what’s happening?”
“Honey, wait for Kristen to get there.” I cupped my hand over the receiver to mute out the most of the background noise but it was no use.
“You’ll need to sit up front.” The driver, a young guy, younger than me called out from his side of the ambulance and I ran around sliding in on the passenger side closing the door.
“Why?” Her voice shook and I knew that that she knew what I was going to say in that eerie way that connected us. Stubborn woman was going to make me do this the hard way.
“I need her to drive you to the hospital.”
The driver pulled out of our old development and onto the road toward the hospital.
“What’s going on? Tell me what the fuck is going on?” Her voice wavered, shaking through the phone and I cursed myself a thousand times. If only. I had a lifetime’s worth of fucking if only.
“Your Dad had a stroke, he’s okay, but I don’t want you driving, and getting into an accident.”
“Daddy?” I felt her sliding to the ground whispering through the phone if it was possible, and her grief became mine.
“Taylor Jane, honey, listen to me. He’s okay, but I don’t want you driving because then I’ll be worried out of my mind.”
